Funeral services for Bertie Wallace, 95, formerly of Portales will be held at 10:00 AM, Fri., April 20, 2018 in the Wheeler Mortuary Chapel with Rev. Steve Smith officiating. Burial will follow in the Portales Cemetery with Orville Turner, Bill Bailey, Billy Glenn Bailey, William Summers, Derrell Turner, James Turner and Monty Johnson serving as pallbearers. Those desiring to make memorial contributions may send them to the New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home, P O Box 629, Portales, NM 88130.
Bertie Lou Wallace was born Dec. 11, 1922 in Wellington, TX to Maude (Worley) and James “Jim” Poff, and died Sunday morning, April 15, 2018 at the home of her son in Casa Grande, AZ. The family lived in Littlefield, TX until 1931 when they moved in wagons along with their cattle and settled in Elida, NM. Later they moved to the Bethel community, and she graduated from high school in Floyd.
She was married to Emery Wallace on June 27, 1947 in Lovington, NM. They made their home in Portales, and Mrs. Wallace was an active member of the Trinity Baptist Mission which later became the University Baptist Church. She was employed as a cook at Brown Elementary School for several years, and then became the head cook at James Elementary School. After her retirement, she enjoyed working in the “Grandmothers” program at James Elementary. She and her husband were also very active in the Portales Senior Citizens.
She is survived by two sons and daughters-in-law, John and Pat Wallace and Emery and Daisy Wallace all of Casa Grande, AZ; three grandchildren, Debbie Evans, Sharon Day and Cindy Larsen; seven great-grandchildren, Payje Greer, Kelli Ann Greer, Faith O’Brien, Sayg Day, Emmeline Day and Jessica Aguirre; and one great-great-grandchild, Isaac. She was preceded in death by her parents, a daughter, Deloise Kitchell, a granddaughter, Twila Wallace, a grandson, Lewis Dean Cagle, four brothers and four sisters, as well as by her beloved husband, Emery Wallace who died Jan. 28, 1996.
